Losing a battle, winning the war
by iiv
Summary: There was a perfectly good reason why Ryan was the mascot that night. It was not because he wanted to be part of the team or even the cheerleaders . No, it was because he lost a bet. And was now paying for it. Chad/Ryan


**Name**: Losing a battle, winning the war

**Author**: iivul

**Genre**: Humor / Romance / General (?)

**Rating**: PGish? Maybe :D

**Summary**: There was a perfectly good reason why Ryan was the mascot that night. It was not because he wanted to be part of the team (or even the cheerleaders) and not because he was now part of the Wildcat group. No, it was because he lost a bet. And was now paying for it.

**Warnings**: Boylove and one hideous mascot outfit. Oh, and one naughty word.

**Spoilers**: HSM3

**Pairing**: Chad/Ryan

**A/N**: One of the best parts of HSM3 was definitely Mascot!Ryan. And it definitely made me wonder _why_ he was the mascot. On some level, yes it fits the character, but then again... it doesn't. So, here's what my twisted mind came up for explanation. ;)

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The loud chants of "What team? Wildcats!" were echoing throughout the hallways as Ryan sat still, staring at the floor in thought. The game was about to start any minute now. And any minute now he would have to pull that ugly cat head on and start cheering.

He glanced at the head next to him, sitting on the bench as well. It really was one ugly piece of shit, not even managing to be ugly-cute. It was just ugly. And soon he would have to pull it on and keep it on for the whole game. Ryan shivered in slight disgust, his furry paws clutching his knees.

He tried to remember why he was doing this. Why he was wearing something as ridiculous as the East High Mascot outfit, feeling already sweaty and suffocating. Oh, how his sister would laugh at him right now if she saw him. Luckily she was in LA on a shopping trip with their mother, returning home late. She would most probably laugh at him in that high-pitched way she did to annoy him and then refuse to talk to him for a week for wearing something so hideous and ugly. The outfit was definitely something no Evans should voluntarily wear.

And all this was Chad Danforth's fault.

It had been one innocent game of baseball. Zeke had asked Ryan to be Troy's stand-in for their small game, as he had had more pressing matters to attend to (read: girlfriend), and Ryan had been happy to join the team. And of course, what would a baseball game be without some witty banter between himself and one Chad Danforth. It had turned into a somewhat tradition after summer, between the two of them, both coming up with more and more daring arguments game after game. Ryan had to admit, sometimes their debates were the best parts of the game.

And last time had been one of the best, definitely. Ryan had no idea what had started the whole banter, but he did remember how it ended. They had ended up nose to nose, seething out dares and Chad had finally brought up the bet. If I win, if you win. Their banter this time had taken a turn on the insulting side, so the stakes were rather unusual. If Chad's team were to win, Ryan would be the team mascot for the big game. It was a straight blow at Ryan's snobbish personality and Chad knew it. So Ryan had struck at Chad's masculinity.

One date. Dinner, movie, the whole package topped with some mandatory hand-holding.

Needless to say, Chad had worked extra hard to make sure his team would win. Not that Ryan's hadn't put up a fight. Especially Zeke and Jason had been rather eager to see Chad lose.

Ryan sighed, glancing at the ugly cat head again. The outcome? He had lost by one point, just like back at the Lava Springs. And Chad had been rubbing it in his face whole week, so relieved he wouldn't have to go out with another guy in public. Ryan, on the other hand, was quite disappointed. He knew there was something there, between the two of them, whether Danforth acknowledged it or not, and he had been looking for a chance to prove it. And the bet? That had been it. His big chance. And he had lost by one point.

Without thinking Ryan rubbed a hand over his face, forgetting the furry paws he was wearing. Spluttering and spitting out hair he hunched over his knees, cursing his luck.

"Looking good, Wildcat." someone snorted before him, a hand coming down to ruffle his blond hair.

Without looking up Ryan groaned. "Just beat it, Danforth."

Chad sat down next to him and Ryan was forced to glance his way. He was wearing his game uniform under a white Wildcat hoodie, a goofy grin on his lips. "C'mon, Ry. It's not that bad."

"Not that bad?" Ryan repeated, face scrunching up. "_Not that bad_? Yeah, okay. Maybe not for you. You're not wearing an old, sweaty mascot outfit and already suffocating."

"Would you feel more comfortable if instead of a cat you'd be dressed up as a duck, Ducky?"

Ryan slapped Chad upside the head with his paw. "This is exactly why I hate losing."

"Oh? And here I thought you were bitching because you didn't get to go on date with me." Chad chuckled, fixing the hair the paw mussed up. He had a rather smug grin on his lips.

Ryan glanced his way again, snorting lightly. "That would've just been a bonus. Free movie and a dinner."

"Yeah?" Chad checked, pursing his lips in thought. He was silent for a while, and Ryan involuntarily gave the boy his whole attention. Chad smirked at him, giving a small shrug before standing up, making sure Ryan was still staring at him.

"Well, that's a shame." Chad sighed, sounding so fake it wasn't even funny. "You see, I have these two tickets for Friday. There were no musicals, but this has Hayden Christensen in it. But I guess since you're not interested I should ask Taylor. Maybe she'd go with me."

Ryan sat up straight, a look of pure surprise on his face. "What?"

"_The Jumper_ or something. Ever heard of it?" Chad asked, shrugging again. "You know, I was gonna let you choose the restaurant and all, but -"

Ryan waved his hands, cutting in. "Wait, what? Are you asking me out?"

"Well, I thought about it, but since you're _clearly_ not interested..." Chad shrugged again, but he was finding it harder and harder to fight the smug grin making its way to his lips.

Ryan just blinked.

And after what felt like a minute Chad sighed, rolling his eyes. "Okay, let's make a deal."

"A deal?"

"Yeah", Chad nodded, "If we win tonight, I'll take you out. If we don't, I'll go with Taylor."

Ryan tilted his head in confusion. "Okay... But what does that have to do with me?"

Chad huffed, hands on hips. "_Dude_, do you want to go out with me or not?"

"Sure..." Ryan mumbled, still feeling rather confused. "But -"

"Good then", Chad grinned, picking up the ugly cat head. With a small wink he placed the head on Ryan, giving his shoulder a quick squeeze. "Cheer hard, Wildcat."

It was hard to see behind the ugly cat head, but Ryan could vaguely make out Chad's retreating back heading towards the locker rooms. And once he had disappeared behind a corner the whole situation finally sank in.

--

During the game no one questioned the sudden enthusiasm Ryan was shoving as the team mascot. Maybe they thought he got so into the game it wasn't about losing a bet anymore, but more of having fun. Only Chad knew the real reason and after Rocketman nailed the last points and the crowd went wild, he couldn't stop smirking.


End file.
